Proverbs 13:23

An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away.

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🪴 What if I told you that just one seed is so powerful that if it even accidentally fell into the right field — something can still grow from it?! You didn’t even plant it, but when the right seed hits the right soil at the right time — it’s magic! And that’s good.

But here’s a hard reality — This cold world doesn’t always reward what’s good. It rewards (or only allows) what it can control. And that’s how injustice sweeps the field.

Proverbs 13:23 says,

“An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away.”

That “unplowed field,” or fallow ground, as some translations call it is land that hasn’t been worked —it’s just laying dormant. So, in this analogy, think of “unplowed fields“ like untapped potential. So it’s saying untapped potential is everywhere, even amongst the poorest of people.

But the problem is this:

The rich have systems — the poor just have sweat. The rich have lawyers and loopholes — the poor just have prayers. The rich build fences, get patents, policies, and protection — the poor… they’ve got grit and they’ve got God. But grit doesn’t always stop greed. And greed blows through like a storm — sweeping away what was meant to feed the masses.

⚙️ It’s The Gate Keepers

That’s why the harvest rarely makes it into the hands of those who need it most. Because somewhere between creation and consumption, injustice builds a gate — that’s conveniently guarded by “gatekeepers”.

Think about world-changing ideas that are often born in silence, then buried by systems. Fore example, did you know that:

— In Nottingham, designers turned old refrigerators into machines that pull drinking water from thin air. BBC+1 — In India, three teens created a salt-powered refrigerator that runs with no electricity to preserve food. BI — And in Malawi, a young man built a wind turbine from scrap parts in a junk yard to power his family’s home with all natural energy. Wiki

These are seeds dropped into so-called barren fields. But the field is often ‘swept away’ by systems of control, corruption, and…you guessed it: them dog-gone’ gatekeepers!

So the field has always been ripe with potential. But the field ain’t always safe: at least when it comes to the poor, who can’t always stop the sweep.

🌱 But God:

But here’s the good news: You can’t stop a real seed. Even if the field gets swept, what’s of God finds another way to grow. Roses still grow out of broken concrete! Dreams don’t die — they just get buried like seeds waiting for their season.

So keep cultivating — keep creating. Because your field — your art, your words, your work — might just be the soil someone else’s miracle grows in.

💥 Remember:

Greed may build gates. But God builds gardens.

Prayer

Lord, let no storm erase what You planted in me.

Today’s Challenge

Plant one seed today — a small action that brings life.

Call someone who’s struggling.

Share knowledge that helps someone grow.

Start the thing you’ve been waiting on perfect conditions for.

Because the seed you plant today could be someone else’s survival tomorrow. 🌱

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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Be Wise and Be Well...peace.

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